Christian art

And I don't think that's good either.

I think artists making Christian art also need to realize that there are ears who are hearing it that aren't Christian or that aren't as rock solid in their faith and that their piece of art could be a defining factor in someone's faith.

And I think that's a lot of responsibility in a really good way.

But I also think as a kid learning about God and realizing later in life, because this happened multiple times for me, realizing later in life that the stories that I grew up with either weren't actually in the Bible or that so many liberties were taken that they're just so twisted that I have to kind of relearn it.

And we are going to see that in today's episode, heavy leaning towards Christological readings of fish.

And also, a fantastic symbol in early Christian art that carries on through Christian tradition as a way of representing Jesus, as a way of representing Christians, baptism and lots of other things.

So let's get on and kick off with something from early Christian art.

I thought there was something fishy about today's theme, but I'm hooked, Michelle.

Oh, you have worked hard on that one.

and eat the flesh together.

And the gall will later be used to heal Tobias's blind father Tobit from his blindness and also to drive a demon out from his future wife Sarah, the heart and liver being used for that.

So why is this popping up on a piece of Roman Christian art? Well, it does become a symbol in early Christianity for part of this idea of fish, resurrection, healing, new life.

Tertullian also mentions that some North African Christians were etching images of shepherds into their chalices.

giving us a rare glimpse into how the shepherd was expressed in Christian art.

So from this discussion, we can see that despite not being written by a famous Christian authority, the Shepherd of Hermas persistently remained a popular text from antiquity and even into the medieval period.

But what happened? Why is it all but forgotten? The shepherd fell into disuse at different times in different places.

Well, to work our way through preconceived notions.

You know, another of those prejudices is, you know, Christian art, it's always a bit awkward, right? Well, cheesy.

I remember I've been in the music scene way back and I had some friends who started bands and they were two kinds.

There was the one kind who said, well, I'm a Christian, I'm a missionary first and I do music.

And those were the good guys who actually knew how to do music most of the time, right? So with you knowing you, and it comes out what you're saying, and I know you a little bit, excellence is all over what you do.

And you don't get to play C.S. Lewis' play without having the credentials, the capability to do that.

So how do you combine this? How do you make sure that you're excellent in what you do and you're not this niche-y kind of Christian art thing?

Go ahead, I've got thoughts, but you go first.

But it has artistic implications.

What you see in here, this appetite for signs and symbols and secret meanings, that Christian appetite is something that transferred to Christian art.

[gentle music] The Christian art of the Dark Ages is an art of mystery and magic, of suggestions and miracles, transcendence and light.

The rotas square isn't art yet, but it is an excellent pointer to a new artistic direction.

[footsteps] One of the reasons early Christian art is so exciting is because you find it in exciting places.

[items falling] Rome is wild enough on the surface, but when you descend into its underground, look how scary and fascinating it becomes.

[water dripping] People often imagine the catacombs were hiding places, underground shelters in which persecuted Christians hid from the Romans.

The Romans knew these were here all right.